No matter what business you’re in, people are the key to your success. Because employees’ abilities to achieve their designated goals determine the extent of the organization’s profitability and sustainability, it makes good sense to set your people up for success by building an employee-centered workplace. To help employees become fully successful, Dr. Pat Lynch, President of Business Alignment Strategies, Inc., suggests that her clients create an employee-centered workplace, an environment in which every person, process, system, policy, and program is focused on enabling people to thrive. Such a setting makes good business sense: when workers have management’s full support to use their talents, you end up with delighted customers, engaged employees, and a successful business.

Areas that Drive an Employee-Centered Workplace

How do you create an employee-centered workplace?  According to Dr. Lynch you must begin by focusing on four areas:

1. Supervisors:  provide them the support they need to enable employees’ success.

2. Organizational culture:  ensure the organization is employee-focused, not employer- or even customer-centered. When Fred Smith started FedEx, his philosophy of People-Service-Profit demonstrated his belief that if you take care of your people first, they will provide the service that enables the profits. The success of his company reflects his wisdom.

3. Organizational processes:  make sure employees have the infrastructure that enables them to do their work easily rather than sets up obstacles to success.

4. Rewards and recognition:  establish a total rewards program that compensates employees fairly for their contributions to the organization’s success.

SOURCE: http://optimizebusinessresults.com#sthash.jAl2z8sv.dpuf

Benefits of an Employee-Centered Workplace

In addition to obvious benefit of increased morale, happy employees tend to be more productive and less likely to engage in office politics.  This leads to a better work environment and even greater profits.  For more discussion of company culture, see our posts on What Makes an Ideal Work Environment? and Radical Candor - Honesty at the Office.

The Culture Counts blog is a discussion of law firm culture and legal innovation, including topics such as effective leadership, employee engagement, workplace culture, ideal work environment, company core values, and workplace productivity.  

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Klemchuk LLP is a litigation, intellectual property, transactional, and international business law firm dedicated to protecting innovation. The firm provides tailored legal solutions to industries including software, technology, retail, real estate, consumer goods, ecommerce, telecommunications, restaurant, energy, media, and professional services. The firm focuses on serving mid-market companies seeking long-term, value-added relationships with a law firm. Learn more about experiencing law practiced differently and our local counsel practice.

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